I can hardly wait for some spring travel – how about you? Here at my desk in the States, I’m beginning to dream of the perfect French croissant as I imagine our inaugural Paris tour in May, and I’m thinking of aperitifs on the terrace facing Mont Blanc as I dream of our Alpine tour with Formaggio Kitchen, one of our newest partners. It’s the little things, right?
We’re running seven tours in 2023 (two are already sold out!) – thanks to the growing demand for culinary travel. So let me share a few of the wonderful things we have in store for the year ahead. Think of this as a highlight reel – and if you’re considering a trip, may you find inspiration!
Château de Courances & Paris, May 21-28
As a garden fanatic, I’m so thrilled that our Paris tour features a château stay at Courances, where the gardens are world renowned. This historic estate burbles with 14 springs that feed into fountains, plus the property features a teahouse and Japanese garden. It’s such a restorative space, and our guests will have access to all of it for four days as they sample wines and cheeses from the region and compose beautiful boards with Madame Fromage. This sojourn ends with three packed days in Paris full of hands-on experiences: a cheesemaking class, a baking class, along with an epic walking tour of the best charcuterie shops, boulangeries, and chocolatiers in the chic Marais district. I’m so thrilled that this tour – our shortest one – has drawn interest from both francophiles and newbies. We have 3 double rooms left!
Alpine Regions of France & Switzerland, June 14-25
Our most popular trip, we’re running this one three times in 2023 and two tours are already sold out. In June, we’re thrilled to partner with Formaggio Kitchen and welcome their cheese buyer, David Robinson, as our guest educator. David has so much knowledge about French cheeses, and we’ll learn about how he personally selects Comté for his shop. There’s nothing like traveling with an insider! Plus, this tour features a trek into Switzerland with an Alpine guide to meet one of our favorite traditional artisans, Blaise Chablaix, maker of Étivaz. We’ll observe how Blaise and his family make this rare mountain cheese over a wood fire, using milk from their herd which grazes on wild pastures just outside their door. Few people ever witness the experience of “alpage cheesemaking,” and we’re so thrilled to be able to share it with you. Plus, this tour includes a trip to breathtaking Lake Annecy!
Northern Italy and Bra Cheese Festival, September 13-20
This tour for food professionals runs every other year, in synch with Slow Food’s epic cheese festival in Bra -- home to our friend Giorgio Cravero of Cravero Parmigiano-Reggiano. We’re making this experience seamless by providing a cheese chariot to the festival each day, along with cozy accommodations at our favorite villa-style hotel and meals prepared by our private chefs. We’re also bringing some cheese celebs on board to teach a two-day workshop that will cover brand-building, social media, and entrepreneurial approaches to retail partnerships. If you’re a retailer, food writer, sommelier, cheesemaker, or marketer, this experience is designed for you! We love supporting the industry by building strong connections.
A British Cheese Odyssey, October 1-8
Stay in an English country manor and hang out with cheesemaker host Jamie Montgomery over beers, cheese boards, beautiful meals, and games of snooker? What could be better? We’re so happy to expand this tour to include our new co-host Formaggio Kitchen, and we’re excited to welcome manager, buyer, and expert cheesemonger Marc Hernandez. Marc is so beloved in this business, and we know that he’ll be a great addition to this tour’s already legendary guests, including cheesemakers from around the region (hello, Joe Schneider of Stichelton Dairy!) and our very own cheese painter Mike Geno!
Cheese lovers, I hope these additional details about our 2023 tours give you food for thought. Just as cheesemakers constantly finetune their recipes, I’ve been finetuning these tours over the last year to make them exquisite. There’s not a day at the Juhl house when I’m not orchestrating a dinner plan with Chef Sylvain in London or traveling to meet one of our partners about a tour. In fact, I’ll be at Formaggio Kitchen in Cambridge on Saturday, February 4 for a Cheese Journeys tasting! Grab a ticket and come join me if you live in the area. I’d love to meet you!
As always, if you have questions or you’d like to discuss booking a tour, please reach out. I’d love to hear from you. You can always reach me at anna@cheesejourneys.com.